The history of Sicily, and that of the peoples who have inhabited it, is one of the oldest in the world. Its first inhabitants, migrants and invaders, were probably attracted by the exceptional climate and extraordinary fertility.

Classic Sicilian specialties are elaborations made with products introduced by the Arabs, which means that these may contain elements typical of Arab cuisine, but are made using techniques and methods different from the Sicilians to produce original Sicilian dishes.

First courses:

“Norma”: macaroni seasoned with tomato sauce, fried aubergines and basil;
“Pasta cc’a muddica”, with breadcrumbs, oil and anchovies;
“Pasta cc’u trunzu”, with cabbage, grown locally;
“Pasta cc’u niuru”: with cuttlefish ink mixed with tomato sauce.

There are second courses such as mixed grilled fish seasoned with oil, lemon, parsley, garlic and pepper or aromatic herbs; “maschile”, a typical fish cooked in a thousand different ways; fried, raw in salad, grilled etc. For meat lovers there is “falsomagro”, a typical dish with lard, eggs, cheese, onion, cooked pepper and all cooked in tomato sauce. Others prefer shellfish: clams, mussels, and ox eyes, typical of the restaurants on the coast, whose terraces fill up with tourists on summer evenings.

Among the Sicilian products, the scacciata, a typical focaccia used a lot during the Christmas holidays; “Arancine di riso”; “Pizze alla siciliana”, fried and filled with cheese and anchovies.

Finally, the pastry shop, rich and imaginative.
From the delicious almond cakes, to the “granita di torrone”, the “pasta reale”, obtained by modeling the pasta in different colored shapes: fruit, fish, puppets, etc. A very popular product in Acireale are the famous “cannoli” and the Sicilian cassata, which makes use of the skill of long-established pastry chefs, who enrich it with cream, pieces of chocolate, pistachios and hazelnuts and which are all very difficult to resist.